BMW says it will commence manufacturing the MINI in China, but Oxford to remain its heart of production

By Nicky Godding

4 November 2021

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Consistent alignment on electrification and digitalisation, conquering additional target groups and markets and community and social engagement form the core of the future strategy of the MINI which is manufactured at Cowley in Oxford.

In September 2021, MINI revealed an increase in sales of 7.9 percent in comparison with the same period in 2020. Electrified models now make up more than 15 percent of global sales, it said.

The number of MINI brand vehicles sold globally in the first nine months of the year rose by eight per cent to a total of 224,838 units. The all-electric MINI SE 3 made a significant contribution to growth, with sales up by 106.6 per cent. Together with the MINI Countryman plug-in hybrid 3, both accounted for more than 15 per cent of the brand's total sales volume worldwide during the nine-month period. In the third quarter, however, MINI deliveries worldwide fell to 66,990 units.

Production of the next generation MINI Countryman will be launched in 2023 and the car will be built at the BMW Group Plant Leipzig, making it the first MINI Made in Germany. All other MINI models, including the MINI Convertible set to launch in 2025, will be produced at the MINI Plant in Oxford, which remains the heart of MINI production and the United Kingdom will continue to be the home of the MINI brand, the company said.

The Cowley plant employs around 4,000 people.

MINI is pursuing the strategic sustainability goals of its owner, the BMW Group, by consistently reducing CO₂ emissions over the entire value chain. Innovative materials and enhanced use of secondary raw materials also contribute to greater sustainability.

Electric vehicles will make up 50 percent of total global MINI sales by 2027. In 2025, the last new MINI model powered with a combustion engine will be launched and complete electrification of the MINI model range will take place by the early 2030s.

Its future core portfolio of all-electric powered vehicles will include the MINI 3-Door Hatch, a new crossover in the small-car segment and the next generation MINI Countryman in the compact segment. MINI is also developing concepts for John Cooper Works models with an electrified drivetrain.

MINI’s small-car models and the next generation MINI Countryman in the premium compact segment will also be available with conventional combustion engines.

The automotive market in China continues to undergo dynamic growth and MINI will soon move from the status of an import brand to a local manufacturer. From 2023 onwards, the new models of the small-car segment developed for e-mobility will be produced in China. Production will be located at the newly constructed automotive plant in the east of China. MINI will use the cars produced there to meet the increased demand in China and the other global markets.

By Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe.

After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts.

She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.